3. God, husband, kids in that order. I know this isn’t a popular philosophy, especially among mothers, but hear me out. It’s no secret that my faith is of utmost importance, so God comes first in my life no matter what. But regardless of your belief system, your husband should come before your kids. Now unless you’re married to someone who is abusive (in which case, I urge you to seek help beyond what my blog can give you), no man in his right mind would ask you to put your kids aside to serve his every need while neglecting them. That’s not what this means. When you board an airplane, the flight attendants are required to go over emergency preparedness prior to takeoff. When explaining the part about how to operate the oxygen mask, passengers are instructed to first put the mask on themselves before putting it on their small child. Is that because they think you are more important than your kids? Absolutely not. But you cannot effectively help your child if you can’t breathe yourself. The same holds true with marriage and parenting. You cannot effectively parent your children if your marriage is falling apart. Take it from me — I tried. There will also come a time when your kids will leave the house to pursue their dreams as adults. If you have not cultivated a lasting relationship with your spouse, you will have both empty nests and empty hearts.

4. Forgive. No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. If you make forgiveness a habit — for everything from major mistakes to little annoyances (every day, I have to forgive my husband for leaving the wet towel on the bathroom counter) — you will keep resentment from growing.

5. Over-communicate. I used to have a bad habit of not speaking my feelings. I played the standard “you should know why I’m mad” game, and that’s just downright unfair. Men are not wired like women, and they DON’T always know that they’ve been insensitive. I’m still growing in this area, and there are often times when my husband has to pry something out of me, but I’m trying to remember that I need to just communicate how I feel.

6. Schedule a regular date night. This one isn’t new, but it’s very important. Never stop dating your spouse. Even if you can’t afford dinner and a movie (which we seldom can), spending some regular one-on-one time with your spouse is essential. Don’t talk about bills, or schedules or the kids. Frankie and I often daydream about our future or plan our dream vacation. We connect emotionally and often learn something new about each other — even after four years.

7. Never say the “D Word.” If you’re gonna say it, you better mean it. Plain and simple, threatening divorce is not fighting fair. I did this a lot in my previous marriages. I’m not proud of it, but I learned better. I was hurting deeply, and I wanted to hurt back, but it never helped me feel better.

8. Learn his love language. Everyone has a love language. The way you perceive love is often different from the way your spouse perceives love. Does he like words of affirmation, or does he respond better when you give him gifts? Whatever his love language is — learn it and USE IT.

9. Never talk negatively about him. I learned this lesson the hard way, too. If you’re going through a difficult time in your marriage and you need advice, see a counselor. Family counseling is a great tool, but try to remember that your family members and friends are not the most objective people to give advice. The argument they are hearing is one-sided, and they often build up negative feelings toward your spouse, which usually don’t subside once you and your husband have gotten past it. Protect his image with those that you’re close with, and seek help from those that can actually be objective. News flash, ladies: Your mother cannot be objective!

10. Choose to love. There are times in a marriage that you may wake up and not feel in love anymore. Choose to love anyway. There are times when you may not be attracted to your husband anymore. Choose to love anyway. Marriage is a commitment. In sickness and health, in good times and in bad. Those vows are sacred. They don’t say, “If you have bad times.” They say, “In good times AND in bad,” implying that there WILL be bad times. It’s inevitable. So choose to love anyway. He’s worth it.

Frank and Karen Lodato have experienced a second chance at "happily ever after" after each recovering from divorce. They write about their faith, experiences as a blended family and navigating remarriage on their blog, Eighth Rising.

Popular Comments

Thinkman, it seems you have confused "church" with "God."
It's an easy mistake, many make it. If you mean a person's office,
calling, or function in a church should never come before spouse, you are right.
But if you mean
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10:57 p.m. Nov. 11, 2013

Top comment

Jack

Aurora, CO

@Charger Fan,That goes back to tip #1, respect. If she doesn't
respect you enough to keep your trust, perhaps she needs to learn and understand
what she is doing to you and your marriage. It's a common fault these
days.....I learned
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9:58 p.m. Nov. 11, 2013

Top comment

bmore

New Orleans, LA

I was talking with a young woman at work one day. She is dating and full of
life and excitement and we starting talking about marriage. During the many
aspects of the topic I said people need to enter marriage with reasonable
expectations. She
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